Harry Potter and the Hero of Albion
by MrHotShotGolfer
Summary: Voldemort has fallen at the hands of Harry Potter. His parents dead, young Harry is taken to live with his relatives. However, one who has seen his destiny, and the future of her world, has decided to take him with her, to Albion, to the land of Heroes.
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter and the Hero of Albion

Chapter 1

On a cloudless night, during which many celebrations were occurring, a man and woman stood together on an unlit street corner. Now these were not ordinary citizens, as in they were not considered normal by those that lived in the neighborhood they were currently visiting. Both wore strange garments, the likes of which you could only speculate to being worn by the characters that were described in fairy tales. Both were wearing long robes, the woman a solid dark green and the man in an unusual combination of colors that would scream "Too bright!" to anybody looking at him.

The man's name is Albus Dumbledore, and the woman with him is Minerva McGonagall. Both are known for being Professors at the prestigious school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor McGonagall is the Transfiguration professor as well as the Deputy Headmistress, and Professor Dumbledore is the Headmaster and former Transfiguration professor. They were making conversation in regards to the celebrations both had heard about and the cause of such things.

The cause being the boy, just barely 15 months old, who vanquished the Dark Lord that had been terrorizing the country for the past few years. The now nicknamed Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter had become the new house hold name for his defeat over Lord Voldemort. The reason being, he is the one and only survivor of the Killing Curse, _Avada Kedavra_. This curse left its mark in the shape of a lightning bolt on the child's forehead. This one distinct feature will be the one thing that both helps and hinders the boy in his future.

Their conversation ceased at the loud roar of an engine drifted through the air, coming closer to their current position. Both recognized the large form of Rubeus Hagrid, the Gamekeeper for Hogwarts, on a flying motorbike. In his arms, he was carrying a small bundle wrapped in a thick blanket. Inside this blanket slept young Harry. The cut on his forehead still the raw red color since it wasn't fully healed. Hagrid handed the bundle to Dumbledore who quickly looked into the blanket to the young child sleeping within. He knew the hardships the child would soon face as he grew older, and wished him all the best for the tasks that awaited him.

Dumbledore left a letter detailing the events that transpired on Halloween so the boy's family, the Dursleys, would know and inform the boy when they thought the time was right. At this point, the visitors said their goodbyes and prepared to leave. McGonagall transformed into her animagus form, that of a house cat, Hagrid left on the flying motorbike, and Professor Dumbledore walked calmly down the street to where he first appeared. He then proceeded to let out the lights that he had put out when he had first arrived, then took one last glance at number 4 Privet Drive and said, "Good luck Harry." He then seemed to twist before disappearing with a silent "pop."

The night seemed to settle down once more into the normalcy it was used to in this quiet neighborhood. You could hear a dog barking a few streets away, a car door being closed by its owner as he arrived home after a long night of work, and the sound of a cricket in the nearby bushes was playing the sweet melody it is so famous for. Everything was as it should be.

The quiet of the night was once again broken by the appearance of a figure in red. The clothes were of similar nature to that of the former guests of the street, except the robes weren't down to the ground, but just below the figure's knees. You could tell that the individual has some practice at stealth and even prowled like a predator. This figure was on a mission. She, for the person was a she, was heading straight for the doorstep of Number Four; she was heading for young Harry Potter. She had witnessed the exchange of the three strange individuals as they left the young child alone in the dead of night. She never realized how anyone could do such a thing, either in her homeland or on this world. You would never leave a child alone outside in the cold, regardless if the young one had a blanket around them or not.

The figure, known as Scarlet Robe, came to this strange neighborhood, in a strange new world, to retrieve the boy she was headed towards. She had received a vision that would have dire consequences if she did not act upon it. It showed her the future of her world, the world of Albion, in both disrepair and prosperous times. The world, as she knew it, was changing. For the better or worse, would all depend on the choice she would have to make when the right time occurred.

She didn't know how she would tell when the time was right, but she had a feeling she would know. While in the woods behind her home looking for firewood, she got a feeling that she needed to go just that much deeper into the woods. She didn't quite know the reason why. But it felt the same as what she felt this morning when she put on her old robe from her Hero days. The days she has been trying to put behind her to be a wife and mother. She and her husband had one daughter, Theresa, and were disappointed that she couldn't have another child, due to some complications in Theresa's birth.

The feeling was getting stronger and stronger the deeper she travelled into the now much denser forest. She could feel the magic in the area she was now travelling through and wondered why she hadn't felt it before on her many trips into the forest. She noticed that she was heading towards a cave that had a feeling of power, the likes of which she had never felt before.

The closer she got, she then started to notice a bright glow that was coming from deep inside. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't feel threatened or frightened of the cave; she would almost describe it as feeling a sense of purpose.

She was approaching the entrance to the cave, when she noticed some items in it that she had never seen before. Some of it were some clothes that appeared, at first sight, would fit her, but she had never seen these types of clothes before. They appeared to be of fine make and looked very durable. She also noticed a few books a few feet away from the clothes. Briefly looking at the titles, she deduced that they were books of history, but nothing she had heard of before. "History of Magic" and "The Overview and History of the Wizarding World" were the titles of two of the three books and the last stating its title as "The Modern World." She skipped over those for the time being. She was becoming somewhat excited as the prospect of a new adventure. She hadn't felt this way since before she met her husband. The last thing she noticed was the source of the glow emitting from the cave. It was a tiny sphere that she felt she needed to put in her hand.

The moment her fingers wrapped around the tiny ball, she felt her mind flood with information. Information she at first didn't understand. It was as if she was seeing a new, futuristic world. One where people were wearing similar clothing to the clothes she first saw in the cave, people in some type of contraption that was able to travel at high rates of speed, and then she saw people that practiced Will through a focus, a wand. As the information continued to be processed in her mind, it started to make more and more sense to Scarlet. She realized the people were known as witches and wizards, and the world they lived in was similar to her own world. Whereas the other people she witnessed, were separate from the Wizarding world and were much more advanced technologically. She marveled for a moment at how advanced this other reality was, as she found it was a separate reality from her own.

As the information flow slowed, then stopped, she stumbled for just the briefest of moments before her training kicked in and she regained her balance. She sat on the ground to assimilate what she had just learned. It didn't take her long though, years of gathering information and remembering it for quests made it easy. One thing she was reviewing was of a prophecy of sorts that she had witnessed being given to an old man that had a long white beard and half moon glasses. The prophecy was saying there would be someone born that could help that world against an evil dark lord by vanquishing him.

The next scene showed a young couple with a baby boy in the mother's arms. She had felt the child had potential, not only of that world but of her own as well. She saw how the evil tyrant came to the home of the couple and proceeded to kill the parents by shooting out a green light before trying to kill the boy using the same method. She was saddened that the child would never grow up, but was shocked when the child wasn't killed, but had sent the spell back onto the castor. Scarlet then realized this boy was the one in the prophecy she had just overheard.

Finished with reviewing the information, Scarlet once again felt the impulse to go just a bit further into the cave. Before doing so, she quickly changed into the clothing provided for her, keeping her outer robe with her. She also gathered the items that were with the clothing and put them in the sack she had with her to carry the firewood back home. Nearing the end of the cave, another glow permeated the area and a port of sorts was opened to her. Not slowing one bit, she proceeded through the portal as she had done so many times previous when going on quests.

After appearing on the other side of the portal, she noticed two things. One it was night time and two she was on some type of street with a sign on it stating Privet Drive. The sound of hushed voices reached her sensitive ears; she quickly concealed herself in some shrubbery that was nearby and attempted to locate the source of the voices. She spotted two individuals, one who was part of her vision of the prophecy and another that was an older woman. Creeping upon them, she was able to hear most of the conversation and learned their names. Both were teachers of some sort since they referred to each other as professors. She also learned about the Potters and their son, Harry.

'Those must be the parents I witnessed being murdered,' Scarlet thought to herself, feeling sorry once again for the young child to never know his parents.

It was at this moment that Scarlet also heard the roar of a machine, and she watched wide eyed as it flew down and landed on the street. The proceedings occurred with the giant of a man handing over a bundle of blankets to Dumbledore; he then placed the bundle on the front step of the house they were in front of. The aged professor also put a letter inside the blankets, which she wondered to the contents of. All three the proceeded to leave the area and Scarlet paid particular attention to Dumbledore as he used a device that released balls of light which flew back into the posts along the street. He then turned in a circle and disappeared.

Scarlet didn't let this surprise her though; with all that she'd seen in her life, it would make sense that these wizards had a similar way to transport themselves as the Heroes of Albion that used their Guild Seal to traverse the countryside. Looking around the area, she deemed it safe to go take a closer look at the young boy. However, before she could move, and she couldn't explain why she did what she did next, she reached into her sack at her side and pulled out the "History of Magic" book. She opened the cover and noticed there was a note written there.

"Protect the boy and give him these two books. They will help him with his destiny."

She pondered over the note for just the briefest of moments. 'How would these books and other items come to me? Who would know I would be coming to this world and then have me give them to the boy? What is going on?'

It was at this moment that Scarlet felt compelled to take the young child, Harry, back with her to Albion. If she understood the prophecy then he was going to have tough times ahead of him, and she was going to try and even the playing field a little bit. She had also noticed that in the book, after the note, there was a page describing a ritual that she could do. This ritual would give Harry her blood. It would make him a child of the Potters and herself; she would be a second blood related mother to the boy.

'This might be that power he knows not?' she thought to herself while she made her way to the doorstep of number four. Picking up the blankets that held the child, she peered into the opening to where his face was and took in the sight of her soon to be adopted son. He had unruly black hair, that lightning shaped cut that still appeared fresh, and at that moment when he opened his eyes to stare up at her, she found herself staring into a set of bright emerald green eyes.

"You will be a powerful hero one day little one," she whispered to the child as she started to rock him a little to get him back to sleep.

When she had peered into his eyes, she knew at that moment he would be doing great things. After a few moments in which she was humming a lullaby to soothe the child in her arms, she headed back the way she came. The glow was back and she proceeded right on through to the cave where her journey bagan. As soon as she entered, she again noticed some new items had appeared in her absence. She noticed some strange items, set out neatly in a row, followed by some liquids, and finally a small pot, 'Cauldron,' she thought. 'This must be what's needed for the ritual.'

Making sure that Harry had fallen back asleep, she began to prepare the ingredients as the book instructed to complete the ritual. It would require her to brew the potion, add ten drops of her blood at the very end, and let it simmer until it was reduced to just a spoonful to feed to Harry. Once it was taken, he would gain just a few of her characteristics, she was hoping it would be the Hero properties of her blood and the knowledge contained within. The process took a little over an hour, but when she was finally done, with a new bandage on her non-primary hand, her left, she gently woke the boy up, and fed him the potion. At first, he appeared to dislike it by the facial expression that momentarily came to his face. That soon passed, but was replaced by his loud wailing and crying. He started to thrash around in her arms, and she thought he was going to wiggle his way free of her strong grip. A few tense moments passed and then he became still. He had fallen back asleep.

"Sleep, sleep little one. Your new home and family await," she whispered as she tidied up her supplies and proceeded out of the cave and on home. Young Harry's journey was just beginning in the land of Albion.

AN: Yes, I'm back! And glad of it. This idea has been bugging me for some time. If you didn't know, this is a crossover between Harry Potter and Fable. I have loved playing the games and I, of course, like Harry Potter. Rest assured, my other stories have not been forgotten. Just...set aside for these past months. I lost my muse for a while there, but it has now come back! I hope to have my other two stories updated within the next week, maybe even by this weekend. As always, I appreciate feedback to all my stories, so please review. Til next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own Fable. This is for fun and enjoyment, no profit is being made.

Chapter 2

During the years, Harry and his new mother grew close. She taught him all she could about survival, how to hunt and scavenge for food in the wild, how to properly use small weapons and a bow, and most importantly, how to utilize Will. She noticed this came easier to him than most other abilities she taught him. 'Must be his natural affinity from his world of magic,' she thought to herself.

Her husband would also help in some of these lessons, by teaching him what was right and wrong, how to handle responsibility, and how to have fun since Scarlet was teaching him life skills that were more on the serious side. While he was teaching his new son these skills and knowledge, he would reflect on his reaction when his wife had brought the young lad home. He at first had been bewildered by the tale Scarlet unfolded before him, but then he became excited at the prospect of raising a son. He gets to pass along all the tricks of the trade that his father had passed to him.

Harry enjoyed all the time he was spending with his family in Oakvale. He enjoyed the lessons he was being taught by both parents, and he also enjoyed spending time with his older sister, Theresa. She was a great kid to play and explore with. She may have said some strange things every once in a while, but other than that she was pretty normal.

Life continued in this type of fashion, Harry getting training from his parents and being a kit with his sister. Harry found all the exercises his mother had him do to be pretty exciting, wielding a sword, bow and arrow, or even his Will abilities. He was becoming very proficient at all of them. One thing that changed for Harry was on his sixth birthday. His mother had been teaching him how to read and write and figured the time was right to hand over the three books that had been left in that cave. Harry was so excited with the new reading material that he always set aside so much time each day to read both of his new books. Before he got too excited, however, his mother did let him know to keep the books with him at all times; so, to help him do this, she gave him her Hero satchel for carrying the many different potions, weapons, clothing, books, and other odds and ends.

One thing she had to explain to him when she finally handed him the books, was his past, and how it was he came to be in Albion. He took the news rather well, especially the fact he wasn't born in this world, but from another one altogether. He was saddened by the fact his birth parents had been killed, but was happy he was with such a family as he was now.

From the books his mother had given him, he started to learn about both the "Muggle" world and the Wizarding world. He found it strange that the world of magic was separate from the everyday world. Since he had grown up here, it was common knowledge that magic existed, with the numerous Heroes travelling the land. The "History of Magic" book was very interesting to him. It seemed to never end on the amount of knowledge contained within. Each page had something new for him to learn, and he noticed that it would progressively become more of a challenge to learn. The book contained different magic from his world that he could practice, special techniques he could learn, and general knowledge on the workings of magic.

The other two books he read were just as interesting to him, going over the workings and dealings of both worlds. He found them fascinating in that the worlds were both similar as well as different. Similar in the fact there were prejudices, but different in that one was more advanced than the other. He came to the conclusion that the Wizarding world seemed to never leave the medieval times and to stay in tradition, while the Muggle world thrived on technology and exploring the unknown. Both worlds were new to him and he wanted to understand them as much as he could. His reasoning was that his mother also explained he would eventually go back to his home world to fulfill the prophecy she had witnessed. This was one of the driving forces as he grew older, he wanted to succeed and make his mother, and his birth parents, proud.

So life continued in this fashion for many more years, we now find Harry day dreaming on his front steps dreaming about becoming the most famous Hero of all time. His lazing about was interrupted by a sharp poke to his side. He was so startled he nearly toppled off the steps he was sitting on.

"Ha ha ha…get up lazy bones!" he heard a voice proclaim as he was righting himself once again. He looked up into his father's amused eyes.

"You've got a big day ahead of you…or did you forget what today was?" His father asked him.

Harry knew exactly what today was. Today was his sister's birthday, but he had forgotten her gift! His widening eyes must have given away what he was thinking, for his father chuckled once more.

"That's right! It's your sister's birthday, and by the look of things, you have forgotten her gift." With a speculative look in his eye, he offered to help, "If you go around town and do some good deeds for folks, I'll pay you. It'll be one gold coin for each good deed."

Harry readily agreed and was off and running to see what he might be able to help with. He first stumbled upon a little girl that was crying.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked as he knelt down next to the crying child.

"Sniff, sniff, I've lost Rosie. She's my teddy bear," the child said through her tears. "Please sir, can you help me find her?" As she said this, she turned her eyes up towards Harry pleadingly.

"Sure, I'll try and keep my eyes out for her."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" She exclaimed in happiness.

Reassured that Harry would do as he said, she then skipped away. Harry continued on his way down the street. He stopped once again as he heard some noises coming from around the corner of a building. Creeping closer, he peered around the corner and found one of the local men making out with a woman. He wouldn't have thought anything of it, except he knew this man was married. 'Well, I wonder if this would be considered a good deed if I let the wife know?' He thought to himself.

Heading down the hill towards the center of town, he did come across the man's wife. It wasn't hard since she was complaining to anyone listening what a lazy bum he was. He approached her cautiously since he didn't know what her reaction would be to the news he was bringing to her.

She noticed his approach and a smile appeared on her face. "Hello lad! You haven't seen my insufferable husband have you?"

He hesitated for just a moment, but he finally told her what he had seen. "In fact I have. He's behind the house up the hill there." As he said this he pointed the way to emphasize his directions.

Turning the way he pointed, a scowl came upon her face. "Thank ye lad. I'll be sure to let your father know what a great help you were." Then she was off up the hill to confront her good for nothing husband.

Harry had to wince a bit a few seconds later as he heard the telling off the man was receiving from his significant other. He pushed it to the back of his mind though; he had done the right thing telling her where to locate the wayward man. He continued on through the rest of the town. He marveled how Oakvale was the perfect place to live, in his opinion of course. The townsfolk were friendly enough and anything you really needed could be found here.

After he passed the local pub he found himself being approached by a man that had a funny look about it. He kept hopping back and forth from foot to foot. The reason soon became clear as he began to speak.

"Hey listen lad; could ya do me a favor? I need someone to watch me crates. I have business of a personal nature to attend to right quick," he said with a bit of urgency in his voice. Harry quickly agreed. "Thanks lad! I'll be back right quick!" He then ran off towards the pub, presumably to take care of his bladder problem.

After watching the boxes in the three barns for just a few moments, Harry was approached by a young lad that had a sour look about him.

"I bet these crates contain some fantastic treasures, what do you say in breaking a few of them open? He'll never know it was you that did it! Come on!"

Harry ignored the kid as he recalled the lessons his father had given him growing up about right and wrong. He was doing a good deed by watching these crates for the man.

"You're no fun!" The kid exclaimed as the gentlemen returned, with a more peaceful look about him.

"Thanks again lad! I'll be sure to let your father know of your kindness!"

Nodding at the man, Harry went on his way towards the town graveyard. He wasn't sure what he would find down that direction, but the way his day was going thus far anything was possible. He wasn't disappointed. He came across the bully of the area beating up a little kid.

Coming on the scene, Harry asked what the bully wasn't doing.

"He won't give me the teddy bear that he stole from a lil' girl! I just wanted to see it," he said while pointing to the kid he was previously beating on. The frightened kid heard these words

"That's not true! He wants it so he can tear it apart. I won't give it to him, I won't!"

"Why you little!" The bully shouted as he went after the little kid. Harry stepped into his path to protect the kid from the bully's assault.

"Watchoo think you're doin? Think you can protect 'im?"

"I can do more than protect him," Harry replied as he raised his hands into a defensive position.

With a growl of rage, the older kid ran head first towards Harry. After a quick dodge, Harry threw a few precise punches that had the larger boy on the ground, moaning in pain. Making sure he was down for the count, Harry turned towards the smaller kid still holding the bear.

"Hey! You have Rosie! Her owner has been looking for her, ya know? How about you hand her over so I can take her back?" Harry asked with a kind smile on his face.

"Yeah, alright. Here, you can take Rosie."

"Thanks!"

With another good deed done, it was time to head back into the center of town to find the little girl to give her back her teddy bear. Going past the pub again, Harry noticed a trader that wasn't here before; he was yelling loud and clear to any who would listen about the different wares he had available. He did notice a good size box of chocolates available for just a few pieces of gold. 'Perfect! I'll have done four good deeds, so I'll have four pieces of gold!'

He finally found the little girl not too far from where the trader had stationed himself. "You found her! You found Rosie! Thank you, thank you so much!"

Giving the girl a smile, he headed on his way home to meet up with his dad. As he strolled through the town, he noticed he was receiving smiles from everyone. 'Guess they heard all I did today,' he thought to himself as he returned the smiles with a small wave.

Finally reaching his home, his father was waiting outside for him. "There you are son! I've heard you had quite the day, and as promised, a piece of gold for each good deed, so four pieces for ya."

"Thanks! I heard a trader in town advertising some items; he had a box of chocolate for just a few pieces."

"Okay son, hurry back, your mother should be returning soon for Theresa's party. That reminds me, Theresa is in the field near the outskirts of town. Go fetch her when you're done purchasing her gift."

Again, Harry raced into town to discuss things with the trader for Theresa's gift. He arrived just in time, it seemed, as the trader was nearly out of items.

"Why, 'ello lad. What can I do ya for?" The trader asked him as he approached.

"I'd like to buy that box of fine chocolates you have there."

"Ah, good choice, good choice, that'll be three gold pieces me lad!"

Handing over the correct amount of coins, he received the gift. Turning around, he headed towards the fields that marked the edge of town. In just a few minutes, he reached his destination and started to look for his older sibling. He looked in both fields, but couldn't locate her at all. Turning around to head on home, he was surprised by the sudden voice asking what he was doing. Looking to where the voice came from, he smiled as he saw his sister sitting behind a scare crow in the field.

"Hey there little brother, what brings you out here?"

"Looking for you actually; I brought you something," Harry said as he took the chocolates he had and handed them over to her.

One of the biggest smiles he had ever seen appeared on her face. "Oh! You remembered it was my birthday. That was very kind of you." She then proceeded to give her brother a hug and start in on her chocolates.

While it was a happy occasion, pretty soon Theresa started to radiate a somber air about her. Harry asked what was wrong. "I had another dream last night, one that portrayed death and destruction. I don't know what these dreams mean, but I don't think I'll be able to make your next birthday little brother."

As she said the last word, a farmer went running by screaming about bandits attacking. He didn't go very far before an arrow tore through him, killing the man instantly.

"Oh no! This is just like the dream!" Theresa exclaimed as she pushed Harry behind some shrubbery to keep him out of sight. "Stay here little brother, I'll distract them."

He wanted to argue with her, but before he could, she had jumped the fence that surrounded the field and landed in the road. She started screaming, but was hauled away by one of the bandits. Harry could only watch in despair as bandit after bandit went by with lit torches. He then heard screams coming from the town, and an eerie orange glow started to spread around the town. "Fires!" Harry whispered to himself in horror. "I can't stay here like a coward! I have to go help Theresa and father." 'And mother if she's returned!' he thought silently to himself.

Looking in all directions for any sign of a threat, he slowly crept from his hiding place and scrambled to the overhead bridge, which was the quickest way to get back his home. He noticed that the entire town seemed to be on fire, not a building was spared. He was saddened by the loss of life to the townsfolk. 'Hope that little girl was able to escape this carnage.'

Proceeding cautiously across the burning bridge, he then ran down the road to where he could see a figure on the ground. As he got closer, his heart constricted; it was his father. Dropping to his knees next to the body, he couldn't, and wouldn't, stop the tears that leaked down his face. One of the few people he really cared for had been taken from him.

Movement fro the corner of his eye brought his attention to a bandit that had been left behind by his comrades. Thoughts of revenge came to mind as the man stepped ever closer to him, laughing the whole time. Harry was going to pull out one of the daggers he kept on him at all times to stab the man, repeatedly. However, before he could do so, another man appeared out of thin air and shot lightning at the exposed back of the bandit, killing him instantly.

Harry recognized the new man for whom and what he was. He was Maze, a mighty Hero that specialized in Will. He was renowned for his mastery of the trickier art of Hero skills. Harry didn't see what may have been so special about that particular skill; it wasn't as if it was hard. Well, hard for him at any rate. His mother had taught him to treat any Hero he came across as friendly, but don't let them become too close.

"You never can tell what other Heroes will do for themselves. One day, they might be allies, and another, your enemies. So treat each one with caution," she had said one day during his lessons.

At this point, due to the situation and all, the growing despair and exhaustion of the day finally caught up to Harry; he passed out.

AN: Well hello again! This is the second chapter to my newest story. I've had some great response to it. If you cannot tell, Harry's going to be following the "good" path through life, and not the "evil" path. As always, enjoy and please review! More reviews will be appreciated! Til next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

With the feeling of being moved by teleportation, young Harry woke up with a start. He had an overwhelming urge to vomit, but he suppressed it as best he could. He had no desire to show weakness in front of Maze. He felt the older man gazing at him from a few feet away. Gaining control of his body's reactions, Harry gazed around him and found that he was back in the field outside of Oakvale. He looked towards Maze with a look of extreme distrust, and his body twitched forward as if to attack the Will user.

"Save your energy boy! It's not me you want to fight. You and I both know this. And you may not realize it, but I just saved your life," Maze said in a deep voice. Taking a closer look at Maze, Harry noticed the Will lines he had on his face and the glow from his eyes. One thing Harry learned early on was to always be perceptive, and he was putting those skills to good use.

Maze was of average height, white hair that was slicked back. Dark skin tone, but was accented by the before mentioned Will lines one only has if they continuously use the magic arts. He wore the will user outfit that he had specially made just for him, all in a dark purple fabric.

Harry's attention was brought back to the matter at hand when Maze continued to speak. "If you had stayed you'd be as dead as the rest of them. Come with me!" He then started to towards one of the sites of teleportation the Guild had setup years and years ago. Taking the boy with him into the bright light both disappeared from Oakvale.

Reappearing outside of a large, stone building, Maze continued his slow but steady pace forward. "I am the head of the Guild of Heroes. You'll find no where safer in all of Albion, or any better place to call home. You need to be trained, and you'll only receive the training here. I'll introduce you to the Guildmaster; he'll be your guide from now on."

Stepping through two large doors into an enormous room, Harry followed Maze to where an older man stood next to a large surface that appeared to be a large map.

"I have a new student for you, put him in the dorm with the girl," Maze said to the man, the Guildmaster Harry realized.

The man beckoned Harry to follow him up a set of stairs. Looking at the young child, the man spoke,"You don't look like Hero material to me. But Maze knows what he's doing. Follow me. You'll be sharing this room with Whisper, brightest pupil I've seen in years. She's currently playing in the woods. You'll meet her come morning."

Leading the boy into another large room with bookcases filled from floor to ceiling with books and beds spread throughout, the Guildmaster gestured to one in particular. "You need to get some sleep, your training starts tomorrow." After making sure Harry was situated, the Guildmaster left.

After looking around for another moment or two, Harry began to get his belongings situated. He took the satchel he had on him at all times off and began to look through it. He found the books his mother had given him those years ago, a few Healing and Will potions, some other knick knacks that he gathered over the years, and then he came upon some small portraits his parents had made just a few months prior. It showed the entire family, all with smiles on their faces. He touched his sister's face, then his father's, and finally his mother's. He would miss them with all his heart. He never noticed the tears that fell down his face as the memories washed over him.

The next morning, Harry was woken up by a girl's voice yelling to get him out of bed. "It's time to wake up! You must be my room mate, shorter than I expected. I've been here for a month and had this room to myself, but that's alright. You talked in your sleep last night, sounded like a nightmare."

Gathering his senses, he glanced to where the voice came from and noticed a girl that was just slightly taller than him. She had on some type of outfit, 'Must be an apprentice outfit of some sort,' he thought to himself. She had dark skin, and her hair was up in a tight bun to keep it out of her eyes.

"Well come on! We need to get to the map room, don't want to be late on your first day! Follow me." She led Harry down the set of stairs he had climbed the night before. She introduced herself as Whisper and that she was related to Thunder, one of the best Heroes around. She was his younger sister. As they reached the chamber with the large circular map, they noticed no one was around.

"Guess the Guildmaster isn't here; he's probably at the training grounds," Whisper stated as she looked around. Shrugging her shoulders, she led him around giving him the tour. She showed him the Guild shop where Heroes could purchase produce, weapons, armor, or anything else available to them. The dining hall was next on their tour, and Harry couldn't wait to come here to interact with his fellow apprentices. Whisper suggested he better hurry across the river to the melee training grounds.

Following her advice, he quickly took off towards the indicated area. He crossed a bridge and saw to his left an archery range, and to his right, was the melee area with the Guildmaster already there. Making his way over to the man, the Guildmaster finally noticed his approach.

"Finally pried yourself from your pillow I see. Are you ready for melee training?" With a nod from Harry, the man pointed to a dummy inside a ring. "Alright lad, let's see if you have any potential. I want you to hit the dummy as hard as you can. Keep going til I tell you to stop."

Harry vaulted over the fence and faced the dummy. He decided to not hold anything back with his fists. He had a lot of anger within him at the moment to tear any dummy apart. He gave it a few swift punches, but then decided to up the ante and go into some basic kicks. One thing his mother had taught him when he was younger was the proper way to fight unarmed. And his book taught him something even more important: how to push magic into your limbs to increase damage.

After a minute of going at the dummy, it still stood strong. The Guildmaster was about to open his mouth to speak, when the dummy fell to shreds. It would have been a hilarious sight to see the normally unwavering man with his mouth open in surprise. Harry turned around when he had finished and coughed to get the man's attention.

The Guildmaster glanced over at him and had to visibly shake himself out of his stupor. "Well, that was a surprise. I'm guessing you had some excess venting to do, hmm? I want you to try it with this next." He threw a stick to Harry, who caught it and swung it back and forth to get a feel for the weight. The Guildmaster had another apprentice bring another dummy to put in the center of the ring.

Again, Harry demonstrated some of his skills by tearing the dummy apart once again, but much quicker than he had before. When this one was destroyed, one thing he didn't notice before caught his attention. He felt stronger than he had previously. His puzzled expression brought a slight laugh to the Guildmaster.

"I see you've noticed the beneficial part of destroying an enemy. Now this is only unique to those that have the capability, since not everyone can become a Hero. Maze was right it seems. The experience you have gained contains knowledge from killing the creature. You need to collect as much as you can or you won't learn a thing."

"But well done! Now tomorrow…" he was interrupted by a loud bell. "That's the Guild alarm! There's something loose in the woods!" The Guildmaster looked over to Harry with his stick in hand. "Time to test your spirit, I'll wait at the entrance to the woods. Once you're done we'll talk about your training."

He then pointed in the direction of the woods. Harry was off to see what the ruckus was about. Entering the woods, he quickly came to the spot in the path where it went in two different directions. He decided to take the right path. He walked through some water and came across a large stream to his right. 'Probably a good fishing hole.'

Going up the hill, he noticed some large beetles next to a large hollow log. Smirking, he set about destroying the beetles as quickly as he could. This was one of his favorite exercises that his mother had him do. It helped with his accuracy as well as strength to kill the beetles as efficiently as he could. Swinging his stick from one target to the next, he decimated the beetles. His movements were fluid like in their appearance.

With each kill he could feel his experience growing. When there was no beetles left moving, he returned to the entrance of the woods by going down the other path. He only made that decision once he noticed the paths were connected. Exiting the wooded area, Harry came across the Guildmaster.

"Well done! The beetles are all dead. Good work lad! Those beetles can be a damn nuisance. You've earned some pocket money as well," as he said this he handed Harry a sack of coins. He estimated was about 50 gold. "If you want more gold, you can always help the servants with something, or you can have an early night."

"I think I'll see what else there is to do around here before I head off to bed," Harry replied with a small smile on his face.

"Alright, I'll be here if you need anything."

With that, Harry went off to explore the grounds a bit. He came across a silver key chest, with "20" stamped on it. 'Guess I'll need to keep my eyes peeled for those elusive keys.' He had heard about those from his mother. She had tried to find as many as she could when she was actively taking quests, but could never find them all. "All the easy ones have been found, and then used on some of the easier chests to find. Not sure why no one ever opened the one in the Guild. Of course, I never opened it either," she had said one day.

He also came across a Demon Door. He remembered his lessons well. These doors had certain requirements you had to meet before you could be let through. Behind them could be anything! But whatever the door was guarding, was most definitely worth the effort. This door was located passed an island that had some more training dummies on it. You had to walk across some stones set in the water to reach it. Upon touching it, it came to life and spoke to Harry.

"Your path is dark. Only a light will reveal it. And you are not bright enough," it said in a deep and mystic voice. It then went back to being stationary after it said its peace.

'Hmm…I'll have to think on that. Wonder what it means?'

Walking back towards the melee area, he came across a red apple. He had been picking them up every now and then, since you never knew when something like that might come in handy. He finally went to the servant's quarters to see if he might be able to help out with something.

Passing the archery range and continuing forward, he entered the smaller building and quickly found a woman that seemed to be fretting over something. She looked up and gestured him to come closer.

"Listen, can you help me out? I have to make an apple pie for the Guildmaster at the end of the week. But I can't find anymore red apples; I only need another four. If you find enough, can you bring them back here? I'll reward you," she said as she looked at Harry.

Harry blinked and wanted to laugh at his luck. He pulled out the four red apples and handed them right over. The lady looked stumped for just a second, but a huge smile of gratitude soon appeared on her face.

"Thank you so much! The Guildmaster will get his pie. Here, you can have this." She handed over a blueberry pie. She also handed him a box to keep the pie in. Harry thanked her and continued on his exploration.

In a courtyard that was next to the exit for the dining area, he heard one of the older apprentices bragging to another about him being the "fastest in the Guild!" Approaching the two, he asked how he could determine that.

"I ran to the Demon Door and back in 50 seconds! That's how," the boy replied as if that explained it all.

"Can I give it a shot?" Harry asked.

The boy looked at him as if he were crazy. "Sure kid, let's see you beat that! Right then, all you've got to do is get to the Demon Door and back here in 50 seconds. And you start, now!"

Harry thought it was a bit unfair that he started without giving him time to prepare for this type of race, but he shrugged it off and ran full tilt to where he knew the Demon Door to be. He had to dodge around a few people that were in his way, but he made it there in about 24 seconds. Turning around to go back the way he came, he was going just a tad slower since he had put a lot of effort into getting to the door so quick. Going back to the island, crossing the bridge, going passed the melee training grounds, and turning left to cross another bridge, Harry finally made it to the courtyard. One more left, and he was standing in front of the young man.

He looked astonished. "That's amazing! How did you do it? You were under 50 seconds; you made it back in 48." Another apprentice was next to him and was laughing pretty hard. "Oh shut it! I lost my bet. But big deal, running's for idiots anyway." He then handed over a small amount of gold to his friend, who in turn gave Harry 25 pieces of gold since he won the race.

He noticed another tower connected to the courtyard and decided to take a peek. Entering the circular room, he was amazed at the different statues of Heroes of the past. He also noticed a set of stairs leading up to a higher level. He heard some voices discussing something about the lands up North.

"The journey's length is of no consequence. The Oracle must be protected," an extremely deep voice uttered.

"We might need you here," Mazes voice said in response.

"The signs are too strong to ignore, and the Northern Wastes have been isolated for too long already."

"I hope nobody thinks you're running away from a fight, I know how people talk."

The other figure, Harry noticed as he came to the top of the stairs, looked as if he were only skin and bones. In fact, Harry could count exactly how many ribs the man had.

"May death close his eyes to you Maze," the man said as an end to the discussion as he prepared to teleport out of the room. With the bright light Heroes are famous for, the strange man disappeared.

"What are you waiting for? Come in," Maze said as he stared at the spot the other man had just vacated. "That was Scythe, a great Hero once, when he had some flesh on his bones. He knew how to get things done." He went on to explain a little bit about Scythe, how he preferred to be up North and not actively participating with the quests offered at the Guild.

Harry bid Maze farewell from his quarters, and returned to the dining hall for some dinner. He hadn't seen Whisper since this morning, but figured she was off during her own thing. He tried to mingle with some of the other apprentices, but they seemed to be busy with their own training and preparing for their final test before leaving the Guild.

Heading to the library, after asking directions from one of the nicer female apprentices, he decided to start in on some studying. He wanted to prepare himself for the future, and to complete his destiny. This is where the Guildmaster found him a few hours later. Harry had immersed himself in a book on the history of Albion. He was reading about the Old Kingdom. His eyes betrayed him though, as they kept trying to close to give his body the rest it was wanting.

Taking the book from the boy, the Guildmaster said it was time for him to go to bed. Tomorrow would be a new day and he could always come back to read it, but he needed his rest now. "After all, your training is about to begin. And you have many hard years of tasks and preparations beforehand."

This set the pace for Harry's life for the next few years. The Guild became Harry's life, but the memory of the night in Oakvale flames still scorched his mind. He had the day for exercises and the night to study in the library. He wanted to excel at everything, he wanted to avenge his family's death, but most of all, he wanted make his parents proud of who he was becoming, even if they had passed, it was for this that he pushed his limits.

Harry was now older, stronger, faster, and smarter. He was one of the brightest apprentices that had ever passed through the Guild. It was a new day, however, and he was having a bit of a lie in. The previous night he had stayed up late to read out of his magic book. He had to keep his three books secret from the other apprentices and the other members of the Guild. He had kept up on his own studies as well as being a Guild Apprentice. He vowed to be prepared for whatever may happen to him once he left the Guild.

On this bright and sunny day, Harry found himself to be awakened, once again, by his room mate, Whisper. "Get out of bed lazy bones! We were supposed to meet the Guildmaster on the other side of the river. That was an hour ago!" She exclaimed, and to prove her point again, she poked his side once again.

"I'm up! I'm up! Get off me!" Harry shouted as he threw the covers aside to put on his apprentice outfit. While putting on his clothes he asked why she hadn't woken him up earlier.

"It seemed you needed the sleep, if you get to bed around 4 in the morning." Was her reply.

Shooting her a dirty look, he finally pulled on the boots of his outfit and he was finally ready to go.

"I'll race you there!" She exclaimed as she started out of the room at a quick run! Expecting something like this, Harry was hot on her heels. Rushing down the stairs to the map room, nearly turning around, they both went down to the dining room, which wasn't quite empty, but empty enough they didn't have to worry about hitting anyone. They headed up some more stairs to get outside and then across the bridge. Harry then pulled ahead of her as he reached the melee training grounds, where the Guildmaster was patiently waiting for them.

Giving them both an amused look, he bid Harry to his side. "Time to put that old stick away; it's time you were given real weapons to get used to." He gave Harry an Iron Longsword. He quickly took hold of it, relishing in the fact he had finally received a real weapon to train in. The stick was great to practice the movements, but nothing compared to an actual sword.

Swinging it around for a few minutes to get the feel of it, he turned expectantly back to the Guildmaster. "Alright, what I want you to do is try to hit Whisper with it. She'll be blocking your attacks. After that, I want you both to switch roles, with Harry blocking your attacks Whisper."

Getting into the ring, both Harry and Whisper did as instructed. Both were quick in their attacks and blocks. Harry was also good at dodging the attacks, which opened Whisper up for an attack if he so wished.

"Well done, let's see about combing attack with defense," he paused as he noticed an extremely large man approaching. "Hello Thunder, come to check on your sister?"

Harry looked at the giant of a man. He could see some resemblance between him and Whisper. But where Whisper was light and quick on her feet, Thunder appeared to be more of a brute force attacker and then try to block an attack, rather than dodge it. He was also wearing armor that appeared to weight more than Harry.

"You could say that. Whisper says you have her training with some farm boy," he said to the Guildmaster.

"Maze says he has some potential," the Guildmaster argued back.

"Enough to keep up with Whisper?" Thunder asked. He then proceeded to laugh as he believed Whisper was leagues above the farm boy.

Giving Thunder a bit of a stare, the Guildmaster returned to the matter at hand. "Whisper and the boy are working on their melee skills. We can see who's learned the most in their training. We'll have a no holds barred duel."

Harry faced Whisper, and noticed she had a different look about her. 'Must be her brother's proximity,' Harry thought as he got into his stance. The battle was quick. Whisper attempted to swipe at Harry with her staff, but his quickness came in handy here. He dodged all of her attacks with ease. He returned her blows when he thought he had an opening. They traded blows back and forth for just a minute or two, but in that time Harry figured a weakness she had. She overextended her swings when trying to hit him. And with Whisper having just a little less experience with a weapon than Harry did, he quickly disarmed her as she tried to swipe at his head. He asked if she surrendered. Glaring up at him, she nodded in defeat.

"That's all wrong Whisper. You need to practice more. Shame you couldn't see me in the Arena, could have learned a thing or two," Thunder said as he left.

Whisper wanted to go another round, but the Guildmaster put his foot down on that request. "We have too few Heroes as it is without you two tearing each other apart. Come meet me at the archery range," he said the last part towards just Harry.

Harry looked behind him at Whisper, and he felt somewhat bad how he had humiliated her in front of her brother. But he knew he shouldn't be as his mother's warnings come to the forefront of his mind once again about being careful who to trust. Arriving at the archery range, the Guildmaster first congratulated Harry on his fight with Whisper and graded him with an A+ and as a reward he then gave him another sword, this time an Iron Katana. It would deal a little more damage than his Longsword.

"Let's continue with the bow. To begin with, see if you can hit the stationary targets, and put some effort into it! The longer you hold back the bow, the more damage you'll cause." He then handed Harry a Yew Longbow along with some arrows. Harry took to the art, like a fish to water. His growing up outdoors and the training he received from his parents had kept his eyesight sharp. He shot an arrow each at the three stationary targets; he hit them all in the head.

"Well done, you hit all the targets. Most foes don't stand still, so let's see how you fare against moving targets. Balance firing rate with your accuracy."

The three targets now were moving across the range. The first target at a slow rate, the second at a faster rate, and the one in the back was moving the fastest of them all. The second and third targets also had some obstacles to make hitting them the hardest. It didn't matter to Harry. In the minute he had to shoot them as many times as he could, he shot each target so many times in the head, that there was no heads left!

"Bravo lad! I say you seem to be a natural at this. Here, take this as you've done the best I've seen in a long while." The Guildmaster then handed him a Yew Crossbow. Not liking the crossbow style very much compared to the longbow, he decided he would sell it to make some quick gold. "Next we will learn the ways of the will. Follow me to the island at the waterfall."

As they were passing the melee area, Harry noticed Whisper was still there, practicing her skills with one of the other apprentices. Shaking his head at what her pride was making her do, he continued on his way to the island. He could see the Demon Door nearby and thought back to the riddle it had offered him at a chance to get to its prize.

"It's time to learn about Will powers. Begin by striking these straw dummies with lightning. Right! Let's see what you've got."

Facing the dummies, Harry felt the magic power that signified his use of Will, sitting just below his skin. Stretching his arm out towards the nearest dummy, he let his mind guide the magic out of his hand to strike at the straw man. He quickly did the same to the others.

"That's it! See how many you can hit in a half minute. Using Will depletes your mana and once used, it can take time to replenish."

Having heard that same thing from his mother, he also knew that his mana levels were a bit different than anyone else's due to his magical heritage. He took to the challenge, and in the half minute, each of the three dummies was nothing more than ash having bit hit nearly twenty times each.

"Again with the surprises lad, you deserve these," the Guildmaster said with a little awe in his voice. He handed over a Will Potion and a vial that was gold in color. "That's a useful potion there. It's called a Resurrection Vial. If used on the brink of death, when nothing else works, it will bring you back to full health."

Harry stashed both potions in his satchel, where he also put his extra weapons, and any books he was currently reading from the library. He looked towards the Guildmaster for further directions.

"Very good lad, you have now learned the three Hero disciplines. We can either move on to prepare you for the final test, or you can join Whisper in the Guild Woods." Thinking it over quickly, he wanted to try and patch things up with Whisper.

"I think I'll go find Whisper for a real quick trip into the woods, and right after I'll take the final test." The Guildmaster agreed to that arrangement and left to prepare the test for the young lad.

Harry went to the wooded entrance and found Whisper about to enter. "Hey, wait up!" Harry shouted as he ran towards her.

Turning around, Whisper found Harry trying to catch his breath. "Come on, let's hunt beetles!" Whisper said as they entered the woods. "They should be at the top of that…wait did you hear that?"

Harry strained his ears and could pick up some hushed voices. "Yeah, it's coming from over there." He pointed to the area with the water. "Bandits!" Harry whispered to her as he was the first to spot the three intruders. The three were dressed in typical bandit gear: rags that posed as some sort of armor, crossbows at their sides, and the bandanas each had on their heads.

"If only we could get across that stream," said Whisper as she was thinking. "I know! Why don't you use your bow or that lightning the Guildmaster taught you? If you get hurt, I'll heal you."

Quickly agreeing, Harry brought his bow out and strung an arrow. Taking careful aim, he pulled back, steadied himself, and let the arrow fly. Its aim was true, and the bandit it was flying towards, dropped to the ground dead; the arrow had gone right to his head and decapitated him. The other two were shocked, but moved quickly to avoid anymore fire. Both Whisper and Harry noticed the bandit that had died, had blood spurting out of the neck for a few moments while the heart finished beating.

Avoiding return fire, Harry got another arrow ready and let it go. It hit the second bandit through the chest, right through the heart. The last bandit pulled out all the stops and was firing arrows from his crossbow as fast as he could. Harry decided to use lightning on this guy. Pointing his hand towards the man, he again guided the magic through his fingers and lightning arced across the water and hit the man dead center. He screamed in pain as his body slowly fried from the electricity coursing through his body. He lasted only a few moments, but soon his screams were just echoes.

"We did it! Did you see the look on their faces? Wait til the Guildmaster hears about this," Whisper said excitedly as she led the way back out of the woods. Harry was still trying to gather his senses. He could tell that his experience level had once more risen, but he could also feel his magic had gained strength as well.

'Strange, maybe it's because I used Will instead of physical attacks?'

Meeting up with the Guildmaster at dinner that night, Harry found his final test preparations would begin the next day. He was excited as well as saddened by that fact that he only had little time remaining at the Guild. He decided to make the most of it, and one way was to utilize a new skill he had read about the night before in his magic book: How to Copy Text from Books. Harry wanted the knowledge contained in the Guild library to be forever at his fingertips. He was going to create his own book that contained all the information from the books in the library.

Harry quickly mastered the skills he had been taught, and he was always learning new moves and abilities to utilize in the future. He would consider the Guild as home while he could, but it would never replace what he had back in Oakvale. His thoughts always drifted to the outside, and the life and family torn from him. The final day of tests remained; success would be the end of his training. He would then be free to forge his own destiny. He would become a Hero.

A couple more years have passed and we now find Harry in front of the Guildmaster, ready for his Final test. "Before you graduate, you have one final test to complete. Go to the woods, to the log at the top of the hill. The test will be revealed there. Good luck."

Harry nodded his head and proceeded into the woods. He had grown more proficient in all aspects of his skills. No one could match his blade, or his accuracy at the bow, nor his speed in spell casting. He also learned from the traders that came by every now and then, and they taught him how to truly barter and get the best deal he could. He had quite the stash of gold after trading the numerous items he had earned as prizes for the different competitions that were held by the apprentices. He figured as soon as he passed his test, since he wasn't going to fail, he would be able to get some better equipment to use on his journeys.

As he neared the top of the hill the log was on, he noticed Maze was standing near it. 'This can't be good.'

"I suppose you're wondering how to pass the Final test," Maze asked as he saw the questioning look Harry had in his eyes. "Simple, defeat me. Using what you've learned. We'll begin with the sword, then the bow, and finally Will. Hit me if you can!"

Harry proceeded to attack Maze with quick strikes of his sword. Hitting him a few times to draw some blood, Maze quickly healed himself before telling Harry to switch to the bow. Maze gave a nod towards Harry, then teleported down the hill towards the stream. Taking his bow from his shoulder, he quickly drew it back with an arrow and took careful aim. Since Maze didn't want it to be too easy for Harry, he teleported again so Harry would have to adjust his aim. Realizing this, Harry turned it up a notch and began the rapid fire he was so famous for with his archery skills. This surprised Maze, and before he knew it, he had been hit five times. Shaking it off, he told Harry to hit him with lightning.

Shrugging his shoulders, Harry did as he asked. He pointed his hand at him and let loose the lightning at Maze. Maze shielded for it, but was still surprised by its intensity and the longevity it held. It wasn't stopping! Finally, he waived at Harry to stop his attack.

"That's enough, yes, quite impressive for a novice. You'll find real battles more fatal than this, but you have passed your final test and are ready to receive the Guild Seal from the Guildmaster."

He led Harry back to where the Guildmaster was waiting for them. "Well this is the day lad! I remember the first night you came here, and look at you now! Maze's faith is well placed, now come along, the graduation will take place in the Chamber of Fate, the oldest part of the Guild." He then led Harry to the library, but where two shelves used to be, now stood an opening. 'Who would have thought?'

Walking across a narrow bridge to get to the next area, this was filled with all the apprentices from the Guild along with Whisper and her brother Thunder. She had also passed her Final test.

The Guildmaster and Maze went to the center of the chamber and asked for silence. "Let the apprentices approach. For many years now you've worked hard to earn the title of Hero. Today that apprenticeship ends and you'll go out to do great deeds for the gratitude of thousands, or strike fear in the hearts of many. These are dark times and the shadows of Albion are stirring. Your choices, whether they are good or evil, will change the face of the world. Now, take your seals and venture forth as Heroes!"

Both Harry and Whisper nodded their heads respectfully to their former teachers. They would take what they had learned here and do great things. 'I'll make you proud mother, father and Theresa!' It was official now; Harry was now a Hero.

AN: Wow! That's one heck of a chapter. I'm happy the way this story is turning out. I've had a couple of great reviews and questions. One was if this was going to be a Dumbledore bashing story. There might be some, and there might not be. I'm not totally one way or the other at this point. I want to stay on track with Harry's progress through Albion. I want to thank those that have reviewed my story. Both _tar heels superstar_ and _bandgsecurtiyaw_ are great supporters. This story is coming along nicely, I must say. I may have just finished Chapter 3, but I already know how Chapter 4 is going to go, and that may be up in a couple days. You never know, right? Enjoy everyone and don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Gathering up his supplies after the ceremony, Harry was taking a last look around what was his home for the past many years. Nearing his 21st birthday, he now felt ready to face the world. He had changed out of his Apprentice Robes and donned some Villager clothing that was given to all graduates of the Guild. He also packed up the set of basic supplies the Guildmaster had given him. This included a lantern, some potions, and some travelling food.

With everything in order, he attached his katana, bow and quiver of arrows to his back. He would sell these items as soon as he made it to Bowerstone and get some upgrades in their place. He pulled the satchel on and headed out of the dorm rooms to go downstairs to the map room. There he found the Guildmaster waiting for him.

"Well lad, it's time for you to leave us, but you're still part of the guild. You will find quests on the map table, some you may not be able to do as you are not known enough. You'll need to gain some renown before some quests open up for you," the Guildmaster said. He paused briefly to look at the young man before him. "There is little else for me to teach you, but I can always offer you guidance. I see you've already packed the supplies I left for you; it should be enough for a while. Now, I believe there is a quest card that's available that would be perfect to start your journey."

Harry looked over at the large map table and saw a card on it that would describe the quest. It would include the details of the quest, the gold reward and if there would be any boasts that could be made. He never understood why anybody would boast about the task. 'Gold isn't everything, I'll take being as safe as possible over doing the quest with absolutely no protection on at all; I won't go out there starkers!'

Looking at the card in his hand, it was describing a quest that needed immediate attention. There appeared to be a wasp horde in a picnic area not too far from the Guild. There also was a chance a Wasp Queen would show up. 'That would be a nice challenge to start things off,' Harry thought as he accepted the quest.

Getting ready to leave, he remembered the Demon Door at the waterfall and realized he could now solve it. Quickly turning around and heading through the heart of the Guild, he made his way to the Demon Door. Crossing the stones, he came face to face with the large structure, and as before, it gave him the riddle.

"Your path is dark. Only a light will reveal it. And you are not bright enough."

Smirking at the stone door, Harry pulled out his newly acquired lamp and lit it. The light shone on the door and its demeanor changed. "Your path is illuminated, fancy that. You worked it out." The door then split down the middle and opened up for him.

Walking into this new part of the Guild, Harry found some book cases with some rare tomes with more history of Albion and more tactics to use against his enemies. He also found a potion vial on a table that he recognized as one that would prolong one's life energy, making them less vulnerable to damage. 'What a find! These are very rare,' he thought to himself as he ingested the potion right there. It wouldn't do him any good staying in his satchel not being used. He immediately felt himself become a little tougher and felt more energetic.

Putting the empty vial back into his satchel for him to dispose of later, he again prepared to leave the Guild. Going through the map room to the front doors, Harry was able to leave what he had called home for the past number of years. He immediately was set upon by the individual that had posted the quest.

"Wasps are attacking the picnic area! Follow me!" He exclaimed as he ran up the slight hill and turned down the left path when he reached the top. It then split into two paths and he took the right one this time. "It's this way! Please, you have to save my friends!"

Following the man's line of vision, and his pointed hand, Harry unsheathed his Katana from his back to prepare for the wasps. One thing he had learned that was different from his world and Albion was that things here were a bit unusual. The size of the bugs was one major difference. His world had tiny insects, but this world has insects that are larger than a man's torso as an average size. So he wasn't surprised when he stepped into the area that some screams of fright were coming from, by the size of the wasps attacking the villagers.

Moving up on one of the wasps attacking an elderly man near the entrance to the area, Harry quickly sliced the bug in half with quick swing of his Katana. The two pieces of the wasp fell to the ground harmlessly. He looked at the villager and directed with his head to leave the area quickly. He then proceeded into the center of the area, ducking the wasps' attacks and slicing through them as quickly as he could. He knew the Queen was somewhere in the vicinity, but he couldn't determine where she might be.

While cutting through the many wasps attacking him, he was more of a threat than the villagers that were cowering from them; Harry felt the exhilaration that only a battle could provide. With each kill, he could tell he was gaining strength and knowledge, little by little. With a last swipe of his Katana, and the last wasp was no more. His ears picked up a low hum that was growing louder and louder by the second. Turning around, he finally located the Queen. 'She's massive!' Was Harry's thought as he caught sight of the large insect.

The large insect looked around the area to find all of her children cut to pieces. She looked in Harry's direction, and he could practically feel the hostility grow in the air as she assumed he had his hand in killing the small wasps. She started to fly in tight circles, going faster and faster. When she was done, more wasps appeared that went straight towards Harry.

Bringing his sword into a defensive position, he parried their attacks as best he could while also attacking the stinging creatures. After dealing with the smaller wasps, his attention was drawn back to the Queen. He took his bow and prepared to fire an arrow. The Queen noticed that he was going to go after her and started to fly around a little faster than she was before. This didn't faze Harry one bit as he took aim and let his arrow fly.

The arrow flew through the air, and hit the Queen near her head. She started to fly in circles again to let loose more wasps to attack. 'Oh no you don't!' Harry thought. He quickly fired another arrow, followed by a blast of lightning from his fingertips. The second arrow hit the Queen in the head and the lightning fried her to a crisp.

The only thing left was her head; Harry approached it and picked it up. It had hardened from his blast, and he figured he could use it as his first trophy. He suddenly heard a voice in his head, and realized it was the Guildmaster speaking to him through his Guild Seal.

"Well done lad! You've earned some renown with that victory over the Wasp Queen. Maze would like to meet with you. He's in Bowerstone, by the pub." With that, the voice quieted down and disappeared completely.

Harry took in the information and prepared to leave the area. He noticed that there were a few things of value he would be able to take with him on the nearby tables. He found some apples, a couple of pies, a few more potions and even a discount card on a new hairstyle. He figured he'd take it, but wasn't sure if he liked the style described. 'You never know,' he thought to himself. As he was coming to the exit, a few of the villagers he was able to help escape came up to him to offer congratulations. He just smiled at them and said it was nothing. The man that had posted the quest came forward and presented him with the gold that he had offered as the reward.

Thanking the man, Harry made his way back through the areas he had travelled to come to the picnic area. He came across a beggar and a bully that looked awfully familiar. 'He's the kid from Oakvale that was beating up on the little kid.' As he came closer, they both noticed him and both tried to gain his favor to help against the other.

"Hey there! I used to be an adventurer, like yourself. But look at me now: begging to survive and getting bullied by this brat all the time. You must be able to get rid of him somehow!" the beggar said. Harry noticed that his hair and beard were unkempt and dirty. He was wearing rags for clothes and no shoes on at all. He also had a bit of stench to him as well. He continued trying to plead his case, "Anything'll do. Use your imagination. Go on, try anything. Just get rid of this ruffian, please!"

The bully then butted in with his reasoning. "Look at this filthy pile of rags. He really expects people to give him gold. Well if you want, I'll tell you something that'll really annoy him." He didn't recognize Harry for what had happened in the past.

Harry knew what he was going to do before he even heard either of them speak. He smiled at them both, but gave the beggar a wink, and then he swung his fist right at the bully. He left the ground as the punch landed on his chin and flew back a few feet landing on his back. He looked up at Harry with fear and a little anger. "Ow! That hurt! You've sided with that stinkin' beggar! I'm outta here!"

The beggar was laughing as the bully ran away as fast as he could. "Funniest thing I've seen in years! You've earned my thanks Hero. Perhaps we'll meet again." With that the beggar left Harry at the crossroads to Bowerstone, the Guild, or to Greatwood. Turning towards Bowerstone, Harry began his journey. But before he got too far, a glow came to his attention from his right. He noticed some thick vines covering an area and realized there was a path behind them. 'Wonder what's back there?'

Taking out his Katana, he sliced through the thick foliage as quickly as he could. There was then a winding path that went deeper into the woods. As he travelled the trail, the glow was becoming brighter. He came to the end of the path and couldn't believe his luck. He had stumbled onto a Silver Key. 'How come no one ever noticed this one?' Harry thought as he pocketed the treasured key into his satchel.

Turning around he came to the end of the path and continued on to Bowerstone to meet up with Maze. He went down a slight hill and came to a long bridge that led to the front gates to Bowerstone South. He passed a couple of guards patrolling the area before entering the town. There he was met by another guard, this one eyeing his weapons with mistrust.

"Oi! You're new here aren't you? We have some rules around here you need to know about," the guard started as he saw he got Harry's attention and nod to his first question. "We're a peaceful town, and I'm going to have to confiscate your weapons for now. We have some shops and inns if you need to look around for some items to purchase or a place to stay. I suggest you pay a visit to the tavern first; it's the building in front of you up the street there. Oh, before I forget. Keep an eye open for Lady Grey, treat her with respect! She's the Mayor after all. Have a look around and enjoy your stay in Bowerstone!"

Harry wasn't too happy to hand over his weapons, but he understood such precautions. After giving the man his bow and Katana, Harry took a quick look around. There was a stall selling some goods right next to the gate and another store up ahead that sold clothing and armor. 'I definitely need to go there.' He approached the man at the stall first to see what he had to offer. He noticed that he was a little low on some of his produce. Harry was excited at the asking price on the items the man was asking for in exchange for the things he needed. Harry had some excess of those same items: apples, meat, crates of cider and some bags of flour. He had purchased these at the Guild some time ago when they had some excess and from the traders that came around the Guild. He quickly sold these to the man, who seemed overjoyed with the sale. He needed these items urgently and the young Hero had just sold him enough to get him through til the next delivery in two days time.

Having used his trading skills to earn some quick gold, Harry headed into the clothing store to see what he might be able to upgrade from the Villager clothes he currently owned. The owner of the store looked up at the sound of the bell signaling the entrance of a customer. "How may I help you sir?"

Harry looked at the selection throughout the store and compared prices here to those at the Guild. It certainly was cheaper to shop away from the Guild, even with his discount of being a Hero. He knew he had more than enough for a Bright Leather outfit, but he wanted to find something that would offer a little more protection than that. He asked the man if there was anything upstairs that he could look at. The man replied in the positive and Harry quickly headed upstairs. Looking around, he didn't notice anything right away. He was near the building's balcony when a soft glow caught his eye. Eyes widened beyond belief, Harry crouched down and picked up a discarded key that was a little dirty, but after cleaning it up a bit using his shirt, Harry couldn't believe he was this lucky. He had just found a second Silver Key. 'Unbelievable! This is unreal! Two keys in the same day.'

As he was heading back down to the main level, Harry noticed some Plate Armor. "Ah, I see you've got a fine eye for the best protection around. It certainly isn't a cheap set of armor though," the man said as he noticed where Harry's eyes were looking. The man had decided to see what was taking him so long; so he decided to head on upstairs. "We've got a special going on for that type of armor since the delivery we just received had some additional pieces of the armor. I can sell you the whole suit for 10,000 gold. This is a bargain and I cannot guarantee how long it'll last either."

Harry was doing some quick calculations in his head. He had gold a plenty, especially with the recent sell with the stall owner. '10,000 gold for a whole suit of Plate Armor?! Buying it in pieces would cost nearly twice that amount.' Coming to a decision, Harry quickly agreed to the price. "I'll take it!" The shopkeeper handed over the pieces, which Harry quickly stored into his satchel. He was amazed at the storage capacities it held. With this purchase, his savings had dwindled down, but was still at a reasonable level to allow him to upgrade his weapons. Waiving goodbye to the owner, Harry left the shop to head towards the tavern and to speak to Maze.

Going through the streets, Harry observed the locals to see how they lived and worked. There were a number of men that were hauling crates from the bar to the vender at the entrance to the town; these crates were on their way to another town for delivery. There were children running around the town since it was still fairly early in the day and school wasn't in session yet. He passed a staircase that headed towards Bowerstone North. 'Can't go there just yet, but I'll be able to someday.' In order to gain entrance, you needed to have gained the favor of the Mayor; Harry had only briefly glimpsed her as the guard had described her earlier. He knew she wouldn't let an unknown Hero into the "posh" Bowerstone North.

Harry again turned his attention towards the tavern and noticed Maze was just outside waiting in the shade for him. He beckoned him to hurry it up. "Over here!" Maze yelled to emphasize his point. Harry hurried his steps and stood in front of Maze. "Been enjoying all of the attention, have you?" Maze asked as a few of the villagers that passed started to clap and cheer at Harry for his recent victory over the Wasp Queen.

"I heard about your encounter with the Wasp Queen and so has most of Bowerstone. There are dark forces gathering I've been noticing. Tell me, how much do you remember of the night in Oakvale?"

"I remember enough," Harry replied with hardness to his voice that few ever heard. It only surfaced when one mentioned his home.

"Hmm. Yes a terrible night. The bandits that killed your whole family, I've been looking into their actions. They're part of a group headed by the Bandit King. But more on him another time. We thought that you might be the only survivor, but there might be another, your sister. I'm afraid it's only a rumor at this time, but I thought you ought to know."

Harry's brain seemed to freeze as he heard Maze speak about his sister possibly being alive. 'Can it be? Can she really still be alive?!'

His attention again focused on Maze as he began to speak once more, after giving Harry a moment to think through the new information. "And don't forget to upgrade your equipment boy!" He then teleported away, presumably back to his quarters at the Guild, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

Deciding to think about this rumor later, it was never a good idea to dwell on dreams, Harry made his way to the blacksmith to see about purchasing some upgraded weapons. Looking over the selection, Harry decided to wait on the weapon purchasing. 'These are outrageous prices!' The smith, seeing the disgusted look on his face about the prices, intervened. "I've got some others here in my shop if you want to take a quick look. I normally don't handle these weapons since there's not that many around looking for weapons of this caliber. I can offer you a deal." This had Harry's attention. He couldn't pass up a deal for some new weapons. "I'll sell you this bow and sword as a set for 5,000 gold. I wouldn't normally sell these types of weapons with this much of a discount, but I know what you did."

This had Harry looking at the man strangely. He gave an explanation. "You saved my little girl who was with her boyfriend in the picnic area when the wasps decided to attack. I owe you a debt of gratitude. Now this is a Master Bow and a Master Katana. My thanks to you Hero, this is why I offer you these items."

Harry again had the wide eyed look of surprise etched on his face. He couldn't pass this bargain up either. He handed over the gold to the man and was then told he would be able to receive his purchases from the guard at the entrance to Bowerstone. Nodding at the man, Harry thanked him again and said it was his duty to save those in need.

Deciding he had done enough shopping in Bowerstone, he headed towards the entrance, or exit in this case. He stopped by the Guard station to pick up his weapons. He strapped his new Katana and bow to his back.

His Guild Seal became active as he was crossing the bridge out of town and again he heard the voice of the Guildmaster. "There is a new quest for you here at the Guild." Smiling at being able to get to a new quest already, Harry headed off towards the Guild and his new quest.

AN: Well, I am extremely pleased with the turnout for this story. I'm nearing 1000 hits! And that's just with 3 chapters. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I've had a few questions on how this is going to relate going back to the HP universe. That information will come in good time. In fact, I expect to have a part of the next chapter or the chapter after that, that goes into what is happening back in Britain. I appreciate everyone who has posted a review for this story: tar heels superstar, glennscm, lizh12795, bandgsecurtiyaw, Taeniaea, and panther73110. You all have my thanks. You have each either given me some great feedback, or have asked very legitimate questions on where this is going to lead. For those that follow my other main story, Slayer's World, that chapter is giving me a little trouble and is taking just a little longer than I anticipated. I'll get it out as soon as I'm able to. In the mean time, enjoy this next chapter. And for those familiar enough with Fable, in the next installment is the quest at Orchard Farm, a confrontation with Whisper and Harry displaying some more of his skills. And don't forget, please review! Until next time.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Entering the Guild's Map Room, Harry first came across the Guildmaster. "Ah, there you are. There are a few quest cards available for you to choose from." He pointed at the large table that had a few cards spread throughout Albion. He took a look at a couple of them, but realized he didn't know where the locations were just yet, and he didn't have enough renown to take on the quests. There were two cards, however, that he could choose from.

The first detailed him defending Orchard Farm from bandits. The owner of the farm had come into possession of some special items that numerous individuals had already tried to steal. He was asking for some extra protection and didn't have a preference on who would be able to show up.

The second card was just the opposite of the first. It was posted by a bandit to help steal the items in question at Orchard Farm. This quest would certainly pay more, but it would give everyone the impression that the individual participating with this quest was evil by going against the guards and the farmer.

Harry, already making the moral choice years ago, picked up the first quest to defend the farm from the attackers. As he turned around, he nearly bumped into an individual that was slightly shorter than him. She had on some slim glasses, and her hair was cut to her shoulders. She wore red clothes that were both protecting as well as attractive. She was also holding a quest card, one detailing a mission from Knothole Glade.

He heard her mumble before they nearly collided, "Ah, now this one looks promising." She then looked up and noticed how close they were to hitting each other. She quickly stepped back and looked at him. "You must be the kid Maze keeps talking about. I'm Briar Rose, no doubt you've heard of me," she said as she extended her hand.

"Name's Harry," he replied as he shook her hand briefly. "And I may have heard a thing or two about you. That's going to be one heck of a quest that you'll be going on." As he said this, he pointed to the card in her hand.

"Yeah, I've got to get to Knothole Glade right away," she said as she again looked at the card in her hand. "If you came for a quest card, most of the harder and more dangerous ones have already been taken. But I'm sure the Guild can find something for you to do…" She left the last sentence hanging, but did give Harry a slight wink. With that said, she teleported away to take care of her quest.

Shaking his head at the new acquaintance he made, Harry was on his way out of the Guild and on the road to Orchard Farm. He came to the same area with the different paths to choose, but instead of taking the path to Bowerstone, he took the left path and headed towards the Greatwood entrance.

Entering the shaded forest area, Harry's eyes needed to adjust to the dimmer light. When he was able to see through the darker and foreboding area, a few things immediately came to his attention. One, there were traders wandering through the area. 'More opportunities to make some quick gold.' Two, there were beetles and wasps in the area. And finally, the wasps and beetles were attacking the traders. 'I better get to work and get rid of those giant insects.'

Deciding to use his new bow and see its capabilities, Harry drew it out along with an arrow. He took aim at the nearest insect that was attacking a trader, pulled back the string and let the arrow fly. It not only hit the flying wasp, it also went through it and hit another that was about to attack the poor man. Harry's eyes widened as he noticed this little fact. 'Unbelievable! This thing has more kick than I thought it would.'

He continued using his bow as he took out enemy after enemy in the first part of the area. The rescued traders showed their appreciation and awe of Harry's skills by giving him a round of applause. After speaking with them a moment, Harry was able to purchase a few items and make some sales to gain more gold for himself. Going up a slight incline in the path, Harry came to a larger area of Greatwood.

Scanning the area for more threats, and not immediately seeing any, Harry continued forward following the trail on the ground. Before he could take too many steps, Harry had the sudden feeling he wasn't alone and was being watched. Scanning the surroundings once more, Harry found what he was looking for. Movement that he caught in the corner of his right eye had him unsheathing his Katana to block the sudden attack.

It was Whisper.

"How's it going, farmboy? Heard about your victory over the Wasp Queen, I didn't know what to make of that. You? Beating a Wasp Queen? Not likely. But it appears we're now on the opposite side of things. You took the quest to protect the farm, right? Well I'll be there, but I'll be attacking it! Lady Grey posted the quest, not sure on her reasons though."

Whisper than teleported away, leaving Harry with a perplexed look on his face. 'What is her deal? I never did anything to her except train to be the best I could.' Shaking these thoughts from his head, Harry continued on towards the lake set in the middle of the Greatwood. He came across a few more of the big insects, but he was able to cut through them quickly with his new Katana. He had the same thought about the blade as he did about the bow; it was much stronger, sharper, and dealt more damage to the foes he used it on.

He also came across some bandits that were attacking some more traders in the area. He decided to test his sharp shooting skills by taking aim with his bow once more. Taking careful aim and steadying his breathing, he let an arrow loose on the unsuspecting bandit. Hitting the man in the head caused him to be decapitated. The other bandits, seeing their fellow die before their eyes, became extremely cautious and started to glance around for the enemy. A second arrow flew through the air and hit one in the chest, knocking him back through the air a few feet before falling to the ground dead.

"Where is this guy!? We need to stop him before he…" the bandit's sentence came to an end as another arrow hit him in the neck, also causing him to be decapitated.

The few remaining bandits were now extremely afraid. Anyone that could shoot that well had to be a Hero, and they didn't stand a chance against a Hero of that caliber. They decided that retreating was their best option. Leaving the traders behind, who all had surprised looks on their faces, the bandits scattered and ran towards the area with the bandit toll.

Smiling in satisfaction, Harry left his little hideaway that was situated on a path that had split to the right going towards the waterfall by the lake. Stepping up and strapping his bow to his back once more, Harry continued up the path to see what else he might be able to spot in the area. The bridge that had once connected this path to one across the way had long ago been destroyed, but it still left a great view and vantage point for an individual that might have to hide from a group of enemies.

He looked around briefly, admiring the view, when he picked up on something in his peripheral vision. 'No way am I this lucky!' Harry thought as he bent over and picked up another silver key. He now had three keys in his possession and was hoping to find more on his journey so he could open up some of those chests lying around.

Going back down the trail and going down the right hand trail that led towards the center of the lake, Harry passed the traders that he helped save and they offered their thanks and appreciation. One offered to give him a tattoo in remembrance for the occasion. Harry decided to take him up on the offer and removed the armor he was wearing over his torso so the man could tattoo his back. He was told it was the Coron Dawn design.

When the trader was finished, Harry carefully put his clothes back on over the tender flesh and quickly downed a healing potion to speed up the process. He immediately felt the amazing effects of the potion rapidly healing the skin on his back. He thanked the trader once again and said it was no problem for saving them, it was what he did.

Coming across the first of two islands that were only attached by the bridges to the main part of the land around them, Harry spotted a silver key chest under a large tree and decided he would see how many more he'd need to open it. He saw the large "5" written on the top and knew he needed to get at least two more keys for this one. 'Wonder what's in there?'

Shrugging his shoulders for his unspoken question, Harry again made his way to the next island that had a large object shaped like a half sphere in the ground. He didn't know what the object was, but had heard some rumors while at the Guild of these items. He had heard about three objects fitting this description: the one he was looking at, one near Knothole Glade, and another in the Gibbet Woods, North of Bowerstone. He had heard them being referred to as Focus Sites, but wasn't sure on that or not.

Taking the left path at this point instead of going up the stairs to the next part of the Greatwood, Harry was now on the path that would lead him straight to the farm. He started to become wary of his surroundings and scrutinizing every detail. He had a sense that he was going to be attacked at any moment. He quickly spied the couple that ran the farm and approached.

"Thank goodness! I had sent word to the Guild and hoped they'd send someone. I have some precious items that need to be protected at all costs. I've lost some farmhands already. I have some guards out there right now; if you could go out and assist them with protecting the stones, I'd be grateful," the older gentlemen said to Harry.

Nodding his head, Harry approached the barn that he spotted the guards were in front of. "Bout time someone else showed up to 'elp us!" One guard shouted towards Harry as he approached their location.

"Now there's no need for that. I came here as fast as I could," Harry said as he stopped beside the guard. "But I think time for chatter is over!"

As he said this, Harry pointed up another path where some bandits were waiting and waiving their swords around threateningly. Harry noticed that Whisper was in the back of the group, trying to urge them to attack.

"Get ready boys! We've got some bandits on the way!" A guard shouted to the others.

Harry had taken his bow out once more, since the bandits weren't in any hurry it seemed, and was taking aim at the closest one. He saw Whisper had started to yell something at the bandits and they turned around to look at her. Harry let his arrow fly from his bow, straight into the back of the nearest bandit's head. This got the others' attention, and they proceeded to run right towards the barn that Harry and the guards were in front of.

Putting his bow away, Harry unsheathed his katana and got into a battle ready mindset. Since they wanted to keep the bandits away from the barn, he decided to take the fight to them and rushed the bandits at the edge of the trail. This move seemed to surprise the bandits, and the first few fell to Harry's quick strikes with the sharp and deadly blade. The guards saw what he was doing and followed his example. In just a few minutes of battle, the guards had some injuries, Harry had no injuries, and most of the bandits were dead.

"Guess I need to take care of you myself, farmboy," a voice behind Harry said as he had just dispatched another bandit by stabbing him through the chest.

Turning around, Harry found himself face to face with Whisper. "Bring it on Whisper," Harry said as he brought the katana forward into a defensive stance.

The two Heroes faced each other for a brief moment before they both sprung into motion. They traded blows back and forth, with one on defense and one being the aggressor. Whisper was more aggressive overall as she had the long pole she used as her primary weapon. It gave her the extra reach to attack hard to reach foes, and the greater area to block an attack on defense. However, Harry was much quicker with his attacks and pushed Whisper back, little by little. He knew she was tiring fast and it became more apparent by the slight sheen of sweat on her face as she fought on.

With a quick upwards slash, and Whisper's tired limbs, Harry was able to unarm her of the weapon and pointed the tip of the katana to her throat. "I win," Harry said to her. He was breathing a little heavy from the length and challenge of the fight with Whisper. He knew she was talented and knew that when they had sparred growing up that it was always a tossup on who would win between them.

With her eyes widened just a bit showing her surprise, Whisper nodded her defeat and backed away from Harry's weapon. "Damn it! You beat me again. You can't stay lucky forever farmboy, we're bound to meet up again, and I'll be ready!" Whisper exclaimed in a soft and deadly sounding voice. She disappeared through teleporting to another location.

When the light disappeared from her disappearance, Harry stepped back and surveyed the area. All the bandits were dead, the guards having started to gather the bodies. The stones were safe from the bandits' hands and the farm was also intact.

"Oh thank you! Thank you Hero! You've done us a great service," the farmer said as he approached the young man. "I don't know what we would have done without your help."

"It was no problem. Just let the Guild know if you have need of any other service we can provide," Harry replied to the man's heartfelt gratitude.

Speaking briefly with the guards and offering his thanks for their hand in helping protect the farm, Harry once again was off to his own devices and destination. Leaving the farm by the route the bandits had used, he found himself in the first part of the woods he had killed the insects. But no bugs were in sight, but he did notice a few bandits harassing a couple traders who were trying to escape.

"Where d'ya think yer goin'? We ain't done wit' ya!" Harry heard the larger bandit say to the cowering duo.

Shaking his head at the stupidity of some people, Harry brought out his trusted bow and took aim once again at some bandits. He decided to spice it up a notch by trying a new spell he learned called multi-arrow. It caused duplicates of his arrow to hit the target he was aiming for, but he would only shoot the one arrow he held onto. Letting the arrow go, Harry saw the spell had worked. Two additional arrows flew towards the three bandits surrounding the traders; one for each bandit. It was over in just the seconds it took for the arrows to fly through the air and hit the targets.

The traders were as scared as they had ever been; the bandits had surprised them and kept them surrounded so escape had been out of the question. They each heard the sound of a bow being fired but didn't think it would be a godsend for them both. They did notice the absence of scathing remarks from the larger men surrounding them. One glanced up and couldn't stop the gasp of surprise that issued from his mouth with the sight that greeted him.

The second trader heard the gasp followed by three thuds as the bodies hit the ground. Each bandit had an arrow sticking out of their chests. They couldn't believe it! "Who did this ya wonder?" the first trader asked his partner.

"Don't know, but whoever it may have been is talented with the bow."

"No kidding!"

Smiling to himself, Harry once again walked away. He now had killed numerous enemies and felt stronger than ever with their knowledge and strength now a part of him. He heard the Guildmaster's voice in his head once more telling him of a new quest involving some traders needing assistance. They needed an escort through Darkwood further south from Greatwood. Harry teleported to the Guild and picked up the quest card along with the gold from his quest he had completed with the farmer. He had paid the Guild in advance for assistance to be provided.

Harry teleported to the lake area since that was the closest area he had been to his new quest. He continued to the next area which had some structures on the side of the road that made it more of a fortress setting than the peaceful path it should be. 'Bandits have setup a toll in this area.' He had remembered the Guildmaster's warning when he had picked up the card for the quest.

He continued walking forward until he was stopped by a bandit that had been stationed at the beginning of the trail.

"I'm afraid this path is private, it'll cost ya to get through! Or we could always use yer head as an ornament. Either way suits us. So unless you're wanting to end up dead, you'll hand over your shinies!"

Harry had stopped at the speech and a slow smile formed on his lips. This was going to be fun!

AN: Hey everyone! Sorry this one took a little longer than the others. Work has been a killer! I finally got this one finished, and the one for Buffy is nearly complete as well. I'm hoping to post that one tomorrow and have another chapter for Hero of Albion posted this weekend as well. As always enjoy and review! :)


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